AMMA PUCHHDI ( MOM STILL ASKS )

February 24, 2018

It’s 2 o'clock in the night............The society is as sleepy as it used to be, grasshoppers and crickets are making sound somewhere in distance but there is a soul still in insomnia. A race with the sleep which he has conquered the whole life is now somehow defeating him.

He shuffled himself across the bed but sleep seems miles away, birds started chirping outside and now it’s already 4 in the morning.

Ritwik Pandey, a descent bihari boy, who came to a college in Mumbai with a dream, four years ago. Now, he is in his final year of engineering, who always has an image of genius student during his academics years. The big day – which he was waiting for his entire life, finally came, his first job interview, was not letting him sleep today.

He goes to bathroom in a hurry to get refreshed. Now it’s 6. He puts on the watch, takes all the documents. He tries to look confident but couldn’t hide his nervousness too. But as usual he takes a deep breathe to remain calm.

Suddenly his phone rings. The display shows ‘MAA JI CALLING’……......

It's his mother on the phone who also dreamt with him for those four years. He picks up the call – Pranaam maaji,

MAA: Khush raho…kya haal ..kaise ho

RITWIK: Theek hain….

MAA: Tab…taiyaar ho na interview k liye..

RITWIK : Haa maa ,bilkul..

MAA: Waah… lekin Ye toh bataa, salary kitna milega…

RITWIK : Kya maaji, aap bhi..pataa nahi( in the way intelligent students show their modesty)

MAA : Are bol na..Maa. se kya darna..

RITWIK : Approx 8 lacs toh mil hi jaayenge… but confirm nahi hoon..

MAA: Waah.. tab toh tu bada aadmi ban jaayega re…waah

RITWIK :Kya maa,aap bhi …Are aapko hi toh milega , jo bhi mile..aapne mere liye kitna kuchh sacrifice kiya hai…

MAA : Haa wo toh hai mere bete..okay... mai hi loongi…hahah(laughs )

RITWIK : Okay maa..bye.. jaata hoon bye...Pranam

MAA : Bye..jeeta reh (live long)…Waapas aake call karna..

Hanging up the call, he goes to bathroom again,sees himself in the mirror, tries to smile but looks fake. He again tries to smile but failed again……. however gives a forceful wide smile and looks into the watch – which made him to leave the flat soon........

He books the cab. All the sky-scrapper buildings in the road side, few luxury car showrooms, were coming in his vision and increasing his excitement. He comes out of the cab with a smile and shakes hand with driver and says politely ‘thank you, bhaiya’. Now, he starts to walk as the interview centre is on the other side of railway station…

On the other hand, his mother is changing channels on TV to watch the Saas Bahu daily soap which she missed in the night, she is changing the channels fast but a series of news channels comes in way which she tries to skip fast, saying- “Roj ka Naatak hai inlogo ka” - As she hates the way debates are conducted these days.

She stops changing the channel for a while and goes to kitchen…As she returns back…picks up the remote to change the channel, A breaking news - flashes in the TV and it projects “Mumbai mein eliphinston bridge par huaa hai abhi abhi ek bada haadsa…”30 people are reportedly dead and many more are injured. She says “Heyy Bhagwaan”. Out of a sudden, she gets reminded that his son also went for the interview today.

Worriedly, she takes the phone and tries a phone call to her son, no one receives the call……..After calling umpteenth times, a person picks up the call. Before she could say anything, she hears a voice from other side - “Are ek aur dead body pada hai yahaan pe, uthaao isko bhi.”. She just freezes and falls on the chair. On TV, sound of anchor comes as ..."dead bodies are still being identified and Railway ministry has announced the compensation, “families of those who died will get 8 LAKHS each”.

In the evening, a group of household women were talking to each other in the street. One of them said “KISKO PATAA THA 8 LAKHS MUAAWJE(COMPENSATION) MEIN MILEGA, SALARY MEIN NAHI.”

MOM STILL ASKS………….AAYA KYA